PRISONERS OF WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2982, 20 January 1917, Page 6

PRISONERS OF WAR

IN fURKEY AND GERMANY'

HIGH COMMISSIONER'S REPORT V\

In' -report to the Minister of Dafence (Hon. J. Allen) regarding prisoners of war in Turkey, the High Com- ' missioner mentions tliat he has received ; a postcard from 10/1830, Pte. George ' Guiin, Wellington Battalion, prisoner' of ;ivar No! 036, Bilemedek Pozauti. Pte. Gunii was suffering from ■ rheumatism, and asked for medical com-, forts, which were dispatched. A postcard was received also from 10/348 Pte. T. Gaffney, who was interued at ■ Hndji-Kiri, Hilemedik I'ozauti. 'Pte. Gaffney mentions that four out of the sis men at Hadji Kiri were frim. fever at the time of writing. ■ fftie High Commissioner .ijitotes from';'' the report of an official statement "in tho House of Commons oil Novembers 15 to the effect that only ' incomplete ' lists of/'war prisoners/had been obtained from the Turkiik -Government, Apart from the men taken prisoners in the Gallipoli operations, some 12,530 Boldiers, including Indians, were : believed to have been'taken prisoners at Ivut-el-Amara, but. the information; furnished by tho Turkish Government) served to-identify''only 1923, and'to this must be added. 764 men wlio.had been reported by'means of private let- . t-ers'and other.Minofßcial communications. The statement added that the Turks had resisted inspection of- 'the prison camps .'by American representatives, and the conditions were believed, to be far from satisfactory. Every effort was being made to improve the' position tbiongh the agency of the United States Government.

'Another document quoted- by the High Commissioner was a report by the American Embassy iit Constantinople to the effect that prisoners of war in the interior were able to purchase.'certain foodstuffs if they possessed money. The prisoners had asked that Vtea,' sugar,. tobacco, and cigarettes .should be sent them. -Apparently, the/articles of food most needed • were beet extract,: cocoa; arrowroot,. cornflo'wer, rolled oats, jam,,, and other nourishing foods.

Those In Cermany. ;■ : i With regard to prisoners of' war ""in ; Germany, it- is- mentioned that Pte. Poole, of Latrobe,' Tasmania,.' states that he is being treated well. ' FoM and. comforts which lie had asked for have" been'dispatched to him. He. had beenpreviously reported as killed. Pte. Carran, of Wildbush, Biverton, was;, wounded before capture. ;A postcard from John Bolton, 3i'st Battalion Australian Forces, son of JMr. Charles Bolton, Wellington, gives the' information that, he was taken prisoner and interned at Minister,' Westphalia. ° He was suffering from ■ rheumatism and 'heart trouble, and much in need ;of. boots and clothes. He lias, been consigned ,to the care of the Australian Red Cross - Society. Owing partly to the increase, in food prices, and partly to the. fact that under the new regulations made by. the Central Prisoners of War Commit-' tee, whereby "adders" parcels to prisoners of war are likely to be more restricted, the High Court has decided to increase the value of . food parcels to 7s. per week for each tnai. It is proposed'to take advantage of the facilities for study offered: to prisoners of war by the British Prisonr ers .of, war .book scheme (educational)" of which Mr. D'avies, of the Welsh Department of the Board, of Educatioii, is lion, secretary, and the High Commissioner'is circularising all our prisonersinviting them to take up some form of studv, so. that their time may. bo more fully ; The High Commissioner has' received a. letter from the Central Prisoners of i War :Committee informing-him..-.iha.t the New Zealand Prisoners of War'l)c--partment will be recognised-as the "parent Parcels Association" of the New Zealand Expeditioriarv Forco. Regulations have been issued with the sanction of the War Office which will . enable the High Commissioner-to con-j tinue the work of looking after the wel- - fare'of all New Zealand military and civilian prisoners interned' in enemy countries. .

At'flic last meet-in?', nf the executive of the New Zealand War Contingent 1 - Association, it was reported tlmt. the month's expenditure under tho heading of General Fund (Comforts!-' Account was £1024, and the balance £1024. The Red Cross Funds account,- with an expenditure for the month of £44, stood at. £4397. The balance iii hand of "Special Objects Fund" was £304. •